1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of appliances and, more particularly, to a system for diagnosing a fault or failure in a domestic, electronic appliance.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In recent years, domestic appliances have been undergoing substantial changes and other advancements. For instance, in the art of cooking appliances, it is no longer the norm to have a family member home all day with time to cook and prepare meals. Today, more and more consumers must rush home from work to prepare meals for themselves or for their families. In today's fast paced society, time is of the essence. The luxury of spending time in preparing a meal is becoming less and less affordable. As such, consumers demand an oven that will cook a meal in less time than conventional ovens, without sacrificing the quality of the prepared food. In order to meet these demands, manufacturers are combining conventional radiant cooking systems with the rapid cook advantages of convection, microwave and other types of cooking systems.
With the increase in the types of available cooking systems, the versatility of current cooking appliances has been greatly enhanced. At the same time, appliance controls have switched over from electromechanical devices to more costly electronic appliance controls. Of course, these additional benefits add considerably to the expense of the control system and its replacement cost. Correspondingly, this advanced technology has significantly added to the manufacturer's warranty expenses.
For at least these reasons, a significant concern in the art of cooking and other domestic appliances is the improper replacement of electronic appliance controls by technicians and service men. All too often, a completely functional control is completely replaced because of a failure of only a sub-system, such as a sensor and the like, that is connected to the electronic control. Obviously, this can represent a cost to the manufacturer which must be controlled. However, the manufacturer has an invested interest in properly fixing any problems which develop with a given appliance. For at least these reasons, there exists a need in the art of appliances for a system which can be used to quickly and accurately diagnose problems with a particular electronically controlled appliance, and also preferably verifying a given diagnosis.